Illustration:"I have met many young mothers who are discouraged by their inadequate devotional life. The term "quiet time" only reminds them how little "quiet" or "time" they have for Bible reading, prayer, and meditation.

When my children were young, I was inspired by a speaker (also a mother) who shared how she overcame this dilemma during her childrearing years. Throughout her house she placed pencils and notepads on high surfaces, well above the reach of her toddlers. During the day, wherever she was, she would jot down insights, prayer needs, or Bible verses as they came to mind. Each evening she would gather up her jottings--the ingredients of a spiritual feast she had been preparing all day. How eagerly she welcomed the opportunity to nourish her hungry spirit with her Bible and her jottings! As I began putting her method to the test, my daily devotions became what they needed to be--a workable vehicle for strengthening my devotion to Christ.

Whether you’re an overworked mother, or simply overworked, I recommend "spiritual jotting," both now and as a lifelong habit. Not only will it put more devotion into your devotions, it will also bring you closer to fulfilling Paul’s admonition to "pray without ceasing" (1 Th. 5:17). Joanie Yoder (Our Daily Bread)

If we seek God in the minutes, we shall find Him in the hours.

To personalize the interpretation and application of any scripture use the following acrostic: S-P-A-C-E-P-E-T-S (Sin to Confess - Promise to Claim - Attitude to Change - Command to Obey - Example to Follow - Person to Imitate - Error to Avoid - Truth to Believe - Something to praise and thank God about). I Corinthians 13

1. Sin to Confess - Love is not rude, self-seeking, easily angered, and does not hold grudges. Failure to forgive is a sin that hinders our fellowship with God and those around us. (I Cor. 13:4-7)

2. Promise to Claim - Love bears up under any amount of pressure, injustice or hardship. Love endures anything and everything regardless of the pain. Love is fadeless under all circumstances and it stands the test of time without weakening. (I Cor. 13:7)

3. Attitude to Change - My own love should not be affected by personal biases. Love should never fade out or grow cold to people who are unkind to me. My love for those less fortunate than me should be done with a heart full of compassion, sensitive and caring for every person’s need. (I Cor. 13:8)

4. Command to Obey - Love believes the best in every person. My love should try to focus on the areas of peoples’ strength rather than their weaknesses. True love should be able to overlook another’s fault and instead concentrate on their area of greatest concern. (I Cor. 13:7)

5. Example to Follow - Paul, the apostle, encouraged the divisive Corinthian believers to put love before every other concern. Paul wrote I Corinthians 13 to the church in Corinth to provide them with a formula for loving one another regardless of their differences of opinions. Paul recognized that the root cause of many disagreements could be eradicated if they applied Paul’s love principles to their thinking and actions. Paul’s description of love helps people understand that love is more than just human affection